


Keep Our City Beautiful

by Patd06



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Hippie!Ichigo, M/M, Swearing, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-16
Updated: 2014-08-16
Packaged: 2018-02-13 09:23:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2145453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patd06/pseuds/Patd06
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an altercation with some guys in a bar, Grimmjow is sentenced to community service and is forced to clean up trash around his city.  He is less than thrilled about his newfound pastime, that is until he meets a gorgeous oranget who's cleaning up trash too, but for different reasons.  AU, yaoi, swearing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keep Our City Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> Salutations! I got this idea quite randomly. I was just thinking, "what would Ichigo look like if he was a modern-day hippie?" and then there was this lol. I don't know how long this will be, maybe three or four chapters. For now I will mark it as three, but there could be more.
> 
> Please enjoy! ~(^_^~)

I sigh, wiping sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. It’s too damned hot for all this manual labor, but I know I have to do it. I sigh once more, stabbing at a large McDonald’s cup and shoving it into the bag I’ve been provided with. Honestly, why are my fellow humans so damned nasty? During the past three days that I’ve been cleaning up around this city, I’ve found all kinds of filth from the average fast food wrapper to used condoms and everything in between. Like seriously? There’s trash cans everywhere for this exact reason. C’mon people use ‘em. It ain’t that hard.

I guess it’s my fault that I’m stuck cleaning up after the nastiness of the people in this city anyways. I got into a little. . .confrontation with three or four guys in a bar. Needless to say they got a little butthurt when one of them got a couple of bruised ribs, the other a broken nose, the third a fractured collarbone, et cetera, et cetera. Whatever, I don’t give a damn about them, but I do know they won’t be stepping to my sister with that nonsense again. Please, as if I was just gonna sit there and listen to them harass my _sister_. Fuck outta here.

Nel just turned twenty-two last weekend. She’s eighteen months older than me, though she likes to rub it in my face like she’s ten years older. We share an apartment here in Dallas that’s about five minutes away from the university we both attend, and our parents live a few hours away in Austin. We’re a pretty close-knit family, and I protect Nel as if she’s my little sister even though she’s older. So when one of those guys had the _fucking nerve_ to walk up to _my sister_ , and slap her ass and ask her if she wanted fries with that shake, I got a little irritated. Sue me. And that’s exactly what they did, bunch of pansy ass idiots. They think they can get with Nel when they can’t even take her little brother? Please. She’d destroy them, and not in the good way.

The judge was a bit more lenient than I expected her to be, but I can’t say I don’t know why. I mean, I’m fine as all hell. I’ma go ahead and toot my own damn horn. I swear sometimes I catch myself in the mirror after a shower, and I just think to myself, _Damn. I would do me so hard_ , but I digress. She gave me two months of community service of my choosing instead of the two months in jail that I should’ve had. Plus I had to pay those fuckers’ medical bills; my dad wasn’t too happy about having to take care of that, but I told him that I’d work it off during the summer. I guess it isn’t as bad as it could’ve been, but damn why’s it gotta be so hot out here? I pause from my cleaning, pulling the strap of my bag over my head and setting it down on the ground. I lift my shirt up, pulling it off and stuffing the top of it into the back pocket of my jeans. Yeah, that’s better. I’m about to start back up when someone else grabs the Taco Bell bag that I was going for.

I gaze at the long, delicate fingers that are connected with an otherwise masculine hand that leads to a wrist that’s covered in bangles and beaded bracelets. I continue my stare, taking in the small tattoo of a scorpion that’s just above where the bangles stop. The muscles of the arm are lithe and smooth and I continue until my eyes meet up with a very amused, very pretty set of brown ones. The male before me looks like some sort of. . .angel.

He wears a baggy off shoulder white t-shirt that exposes just the right amount of his smooth sun-kissed skin, khaki cargo shorts and a pair of Vans. He’s got a bag for picking up trash too, but it looks more like a messenger bag or a satchel, and his hair. . .good lord, I thought I had strange hair, but it seems I’m not alone. His hair is long, down to the middle of his back, with a few beaded braids done in certain places and it’s orange. No, not red, orange. Like the fruit or a traffic cone. You know what, the traffic cone is more accurate than the fruit. Either way, I think he’s freaking gorgeous, and with the way he’s smiling at me - do I spy dimples? - the feeling’s mutual. I smile back at him and the faintest blush spreads across his cheeks revealing a nice set of freckles. Ha, ginger.

“I was jus’ ‘bout to get that,” I say, gesturing to the trash that he’s still holding. He looks down at it before stuffing it into his own bag.

“Guess I beat you to it, huh?”

Lawd, that voice. I wasn’t ready for that.

“Yeah, ya did. Name’s Grimmjow.” I extend my hand and he takes it into his own in a firm handshake.

“Ichigo,” he says, holding on to my hand for much longer than social etiquette calls for. Yes, he definitely wants the D. I smile once more, and he lets go of my hand, blushing again.

“So, I ain’t ever seen ya ‘round here -”

“You clean up litter often also?” he asks, and I find myself looking dumbfounded.

Of course not. Fuck I look like, Florence from _The Jeffersons_? I only meant that I’d never seen him around town, but I’m not about to tell him that. He kinda looks like. . .like a hippie. Oh, is that politically incorrect? Excuse me. . .an _environmentalist_. He’s probably one of those campfire song-singing, beating on bongos and smoking weed guys that you see hanging out at the park or on the beach. Yeah, I think it’s better if I tell a little white lie. What can it hurt? 

“Uh, yeah, yeah,” I say, smoothly. “But only when I’m free from my nature hikes.” His eyes light up and I smirk smugly. _Well, that was easy_.

“Oh my gosh, tell me you’re a vegan and you’re perfect!” he says, and my smile kinda falters, but I catch it before he notices.

“Yup,” I respond. Why do I feel like that’s gonna come back to bite me in the ass? I’m not gonna worry about it too much, since the look on Ichigo’s face is taking me to other places.

“Where have you been all my life?” he laments, bringing his hands up to cup my face. _Uhh, that’s nasty_ , but I don’t want to fuck this up so I don’t flinch away like I want to.

 _It’ll all be worth it when you get this ass, Grimm_ , I think, giving myself a little pep talk.

“Well, I’ve gotta go soon. I’m meetin’ my sister to volunteer at the animal shelter,” I lie. Really I’m going home to laze on the couch, eat cool ranch Doritos and play GTA V, but Ichigo doesn’t have to know that. Ichigo looks like he may burst into tears of joy, and it takes everything in me not to be completely smug about it.

“Well, how about I give you my number and we can have coffee sometime?” he asks, with hopeful doe eyes. Too fucking cute is what he is.

“Definitely,” I reply, and I pull out my cell and hand it to him. He programs his number in, and I smile once more before I put the strap of my bag back over my shoulder. “I’ll call ya, ‘kay?” Ichigo nods, smiling brightly and I think I might die.

“M’kay. See you soon, Grimmjow,” he says, and I throw up the peace sign as I leave which causes him to look at me funny. Okay, maybe I went a bit too far with that one, but whatever. I’ve got a hot date. Now to research some of this hippie - I mean, environmentalist - shit.

XoXoX

My nose scrunches up involuntarily as I stare at the screen in front of me. Okay, so I decided to check out this documentary on the food industry, and I suppose these hip - environmentalists are on to something with the organic shit or whatever. Because fuck if this shit isn’t some of the nastiest mess I’ve seen in my twenty-one years. Have mercy, I will never, _never_ touch a hotdog again, or may God or some other deity that may or may not exist smite me.

I’m starting to legit feel nauseated when Nel strolls in and plops down on the couch next to me. She frowns a bit at the television and then she looks outright appalled.

“What the hell're ya watchin', Jow?” she asks in a disgusted tone.

“It’s called Food Inc,” I reply, before I throw up in my mouth a little bit. I can’t believe my beautiful Big Mac is tainted by such nastiness. I am truly hurt.

“Okay, that’s gross, but why're ya watchin' it?” I shrug.

“Just doin’ some research,” I respond. I glance at Nel out the corner of my eye and she looks smugly skeptical. You know, like SpongeBob’s face when he found out that Squidward liked Krabby Patties? Yeah, that’s how she looks right now, and I sigh. “A’righ, fine. I met someone.”

Nel bounces up and down in her seat, her big grey eyes lighting up at the prospect of me having a date. I swear she's worse than our mom.

"Who is it? Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"I met 'im while I was doin' community service. His name's Ichigo."

"Ichigo, huh? I ain't ever heard a name like that before. Where's he from?" I shrug. "Well what's 'is last name?" Another shrug. "Well what do ya know?"

"He's vegan," I respond shrugging again. Nel rolls her eyes.

"He mus' be crazy fine if he's got'cha thinkin' 'bout veganism," she says, gesturing toward the television screen.

"Ya know, I wasn't thinkin' 'bout it 'till I started watchin' this shit, but now I kinda am." Nel covers her eyes and shakes her head.

"Well dont'cha try an' drag me into it. 'M a carnivore through an' through," she says, and I chuckle a bit before I turn the television off. "So when ya goin' out?"

"Dunno. I said I'd call."

"Well call."

"Now?"

"Yes now, ya big dummy!"

"But it ain't been long enough. . ."

"Oh don't tell me yer playin' hard to get, Jow," she quips, laughing a bit. I roll my eyes.

"No, I ain't a girl. I jus'. . .told 'im I was volunteerin' at the animal shelter." Nel starts laughing even harder and I frown.

"What'd ya tell 'im yer a vegan too?" I don't respond which leads Nel into absolute hysterics. "A'righ, Jow, this definitely tops the list o' dumbest shit ya ever done to get some ass."

“Chill though,” I say as I take my phone out. I scroll through my contacts until I find Ichigo’s name and hit the call button. It rings a few times before his angelic voice pours through the speaker.

“ _Moshi moshi_.”

The hell?

“Uh. . .is this Ichigo?” I ask, a little confused. I hear a chuckle that’s followed by a sigh.

“Yeah, sorry. I sometimes answer in Japanese instinctively,” he responds. Lawd he’s foreign too? This is too much, I’m not ready.

“Oh, okay. So, how’ve you been?” I ask, feeling lame because I don’t really know what else to say. Out of the corner of my eye I see Nel holding her right hand to her forehead, forming an 'L' with her fingers. Childish much?

“Oh fine. Work was a little soul-crushing, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do, right? How was your volunteer work?”

“My what?” Shit, I forgot I told him that just that fast. “Oh, the animal shelter. Yeah, it was nice. I helped out with the dogs, and my sister helped with the cats.” Nel gives me a look from her side of the couch, and I motion for her to be quiet, but I know she won’t.

“I want no part in yer lies, bruh,” she says, and I nearly plead for her to shut up.

“That sounds like it was fun. I’d love to work with you guys sometime,” Ichigo says, and I feel like I’m just getting myself deeper into shit.

“Uh, yeah, sure I don’t see why not.”

“I guess for now picking up trash together will suffice. As long as I get to see you and your pretty blue eyes, it’s good enough for me.” Oh shit. No he didn’t. 

“Uh, y-yeah, it’ll be fun cleanin’ up the litter wit’cha again,” I stutter. I try to hide as I feel a blush creeping up on me, but I know Nel already saw it.

“Heh, smooth moves, Captain Planet.” I roll my eyes and hold the phone away from my face.

“Couldja absolutely not, Nelliel?” Nel laughs but leaves for the kitchen nonetheless. I direct my attention back to Ichigo who sighs.

“I’m sorry. Was I too forward with what I said?” he asks, and I frown.

“Nah, nah. Was nice hearin’ it from ya. I mean, I a’ready know an’ all, it’s jus’ nice to hear it from elsewhere,” I say with a smirk. Ichigo laughs, and I swear it sends chills all the way down to my toes.

“You’re a little cocky huh?”

“Nothin’ wrong wit’ a li’l self confidence, right? ‘Love thyself most and best’.”

“You know Woody Guthrie?” Ichigo asks, seeming to be more than a little shocked. I scoff and roll my eyes.

“O’course. I ain’t dumb. In fact, got another one for ya.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” 

“Checketh thyself before ya wrecketh thyself.” I can’t help but join in with Ichigo’s eruption of laughter. His laugh is kinda infectious after all.

“Okay, so how about that coffee, Einstein?” he asks cheekily once he calms down. I nod, though I know he can’t see me.

“Tomorrow’s good for me if it’s good for ya.”

“Alright then. I’ll see you tomorrow at three. The shop’s called Urahara’s.”

“A’righ. See ya then, Ichi. Bye.”

“Bye, Grimm.”

I sigh as I put my phone away. Guess cleaning up trash ain’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading:)
> 
> Until next time,
> 
> Patd06


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